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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spring — the season
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wax — to grow
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pit — a hole
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cap — of ice
  23. spring — of water
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com